hoax call nurse found dead/ change to royal succession rules

Duchess of Cambridge hoax call nurse found dead

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A nurse at a London hospital who took a hoax call about the Duchess of Cambridge has been found dead.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge said in a statement they
were "deeply saddened" by the death of the nurse, named as Jacintha
Saldanha.
King Edward VII hospital paid tribute to "a first class nurse who cared diligently for hundreds of patients".
Details of the pregnant duchess's medical condition were unwittingly revealed to two Australian DJs.
Mel Greig and Michael Christian, from Sydney radio station
2Day FM posed as the Queen and Prince Charles in a call early on Tuesday
morning.
Rhys Holleran, chief executive of SCA, the company which owns
the station, said in a statement the pair will not return to their show
until further notice out of respect for Mrs Saldanha.
The duchess had been admitted on Monday for acute morning sickness, and was discharged on Thursday.'Excellent nurse'
BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt said he understood Mrs
Saldanha - who was staying in hospital accommodation close to King
Edward VII hospital - was the person who answered the call from the
Australian DJs and was not the nurse who discussed the duchess's medical
condition.

Mel Greig and Michael Christian had said they were "very sorry if we've caused any issues"

Mrs Saldanha, a duty nurse who was married with two children,
answered the telephone because it was 05:30 GMT and there was no
receptionist on duty.
The BBC understands Mrs Saldanha had not been suspended or disciplined by the hospital.
The BBC's Nicholas Witchell said it had been suggested to him
that she had felt "very lonely and confused" as a result of what had
happened.
The St James's Palace statement said the duke and duchess
"were looked after so wonderfully well at all times by everybody at King
Edward VII Hospital, and their thoughts and prayers are with Jacintha
Saldanha's family, friends and colleagues at this very sad time".
A palace spokesman later added that "at no point did the palace complain to the hospital about the incident".
"On the contrary, we offered our full and heartfelt support to the nurses involved and hospital staff at all times."

The duchess left the hospital on Thursday

In a statement outside the hospital, King Edward VII chief
executive John Lofthouse said: "We can confirm that Jacintha was
recently the victim of a hoax call to the hospital.
"The hospital had been supporting her throughout this difficult time."
He said Mrs Saldanha, who had worked at the hospital for more
than four years, "was an excellent nurse and well-respected and popular
with all of her colleagues".
"Everyone is shocked by the loss of a much loved and valued colleague," he added.
Royal College of Nursing chief executive Dr Peter Carter,
meanwhile, said it was "deeply saddening that a simple human error due
to a cruel hoax could lead to the death of a dedicated and caring member
of the nursing profession".
Scotland Yard said officers were called at 09:35 GMT on
Friday after reports of a woman found unconscious at an address in
Weymouth Street, central London. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said the death was not being treated as suspicious.
In a statement, Mrs Saldanha's family said they were "deeply
saddened by the loss of our beloved Jacintha". They have requested
privacy from the media.'Very sorry'
The prank call was pre-recorded before it was assessed by lawyers and broadcast on 2Day FM.
Speaking on their show, Mel Greig and Michael Christian,
called it the "easiest prank call ever made" and described their mock
British accents as "terrible".
In the call, another nurse was tricked into revealing specific confidential information about the duchess's medical condition.

“Start Quote

We're going to have a long and careful think about what, if anything, we do”

King Edward VII chief executive John Lofthouse, speaking on Tuesday

The DJs later apologised saying they were "very surprised that our call was put through".

"We thought we'd be hung up on as soon as they heard our terrible accents.
"We're very sorry if we've caused any issues and we're glad to hear that Kate is doing well."
The Twitter accounts of both presenters have been deleted and
all references to the prank call recording removed from the 2Day FM
website.
SCA said on its Facebook page the company was "deeply
saddened by the tragic news" and had extended "our deepest sympathies to
her family and all that have been affected."
On Tuesday, hospital chief executive John Lofthouse said he
had "received advice that what the Australian broadcasters did may well
have broken the law".
But he added: "On the other hand they've apologised for it so
we're going to have a long and careful think about what, if anything,
we do."
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (Acma) has said it had received complaints about the call.
Radio station 2Day FM has previously been in trouble with
Acma for incidents including one when a 14-year-old girl revealed on air
that she had been raped.

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All
Commonwealth realms have agreed to press ahead with a bill ending
discrimination against women in the succession to the British throne.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said the government would
now introduce the Succession to the Crown Bill in the House of Commons
as soon as possible.
It means the first child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will become monarch, whether a boy or a girl.
The pregnant duchess is in hospital but is feeling better, royal officials say.
Catherine, whose pregnancy was announced on Monday, is spending her second day being treated for acute morning sickness - or hyperemesis gravidarum - in the private King Edward VII Hospital in central London.
A St James's Palace spokesman said: "The Duchess of Cambridge
is continuing to feel better. She and the Duke are immensely grateful
for the good wishes they have received. She will remain in hospital at
present."
Her husband Prince William, who spent several hours visiting
her on Monday, spent the day with her again on Tuesday. He headed
straight into the hospital without speaking to the assembled media when
he arrived.
The duchess was also visited by her main doctor Marcus Setchell and the royal gynaecologist Alan Farthing.
She is less than 12 weeks pregnant, and no due date has yet been announced for the baby.'Old-fashioned rules'
The new legislation will end the principle of male
primogeniture, meaning male heirs will no longer take precedence over
women in line to the throne.
It will also end the ban on anyone in the line of succession marrying a Roman Catholic.
The legislation was agreed in principle at the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Perth, Australia in October 2011.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said the change in rules of succession is something ''that many people would welcome''

Since then, the government of New Zealand has been gathering
formal letters of consent from the 15 realms of the Commonwealth, that
have the Queen as their head of state.
They have confirmed they will be able to take the necessary
measures in their own countries before the UK legislation comes into
effect.
In a statement, Mr Clegg described the agreement as an "historic moment for our country and our monarchy".
He added: "People across the realms of the Commonwealth will
be celebrating the news that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are
expecting their first child.
"We can also all celebrate that whether the baby is a boy or a girl, they will have an equal claim to the throne."

He said the bill would write down
in law "what we agreed back in 2011 - that if the Duke and Duchess
Cambridge have a baby girl, she can one day be our Queen even if she
later has younger brothers".

The succession bill will require amendments to some of
Britain's key constitutional documents, including the Bill of Rights and
Coronation Oath Act of 1688, the 1701 Act of Settlement and the 1706
Act of Union with Scotland.
In a statement on Monday, St James's Palace announced the
duchess's pregnancy and said members of both the Royal Family and the
Middleton family were "delighted with the news".
But, the palace would not reveal when the royal couple had
become aware of the pregnancy, only saying "recently". It is understood
the announcement was prompted by the duchess's medical condition.